Light and Dark, Beginning and End
by Shimmering-Sky
Summary: Zarc, a Duelist who can hear the voices of his cards, and Ray, a Duelist who can feel the emotions of her cards. The two are on a collision course with fate as the twisted desires of humanity and the vengeful wrath of Duel Monsters stand poised to destroy the world. (Collaboration with Doccy Larsson Seraphim.)
1. Scene 1: A Fated Meeting

**Doccy: I can't even begin to explain how excited I am.**

 **S-S: I know, the next episodes of ARC-V are going to be** _ **so great**_ **!** _ **ESPECIALLY**_ **the one on Christmas, because we get more Zarc!**

 **Doccy: Yesyesyes! I'm genuinely excited, actually. It'll be nice to see more of him.**

 **S-S: Yeah, although it'll suck because that has a chance of making all the Zarc and Ray fics completely AU rather than potential backstory. That's why I sometimes like canon being vague on details, it lets the fans theorize about it instead of one solid "Nope, this is it, this is exactly what happened and you will deal with it." I** _ **thought**_ **a certain favorite anime of mine was going to stay like that with the ending, that's why I liked it so much, amongst other things, but** _ **no**_ **the company just** _ **had**_ **to revive it for its tenth anniversary and—**

 **Doccy: Whoa, Sky, it's not like you to get this angry. Let's stay with ARC-V here.**

 **S-S: *Rubs head sheepishly* Ahaha, sorry about that. I just get really passionate sometimes. Guess you've never heard one of my angry rants before.**

 **Doccy: Can't say that I have.**

 **S-S: Mm. Well, we've talked for long enough. Don't you think it's time to let our readers see what we came up with together?**

 **Doccy: Agreed.**

 **S-S: Okay! Then, neither of us own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V or the characters involved.**

 **Doccy: We hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

" _ **F…f-friends?" / "Yeah, silly! Let's be friends!"**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

When I see him, he's wandering on his own.

Even then he stands out. Among all the others I can feel something about him. Something special.

Our eyes meet, and I send him a smile. He gives a strained smile in return as the blush spreads across his cheeks.

He falls over into the sandbox and I can't help but giggle as he sits back up with a stupid smile on his face. He's so cute, I have to know who he is.

"So, what's your name?" I ask him.

He hesitates a moment, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Promise not to laugh?"

I let out another giggle, and I'm really not sure why. "Okay," I promise.

He takes a deep breath and tenses up. "It's… it's Zarc. My-my name is Zarc."

 _Zarc_. I can see why he'd think I would laugh at it, it's a weird name. But mine's weird too. "That's a nice name," I say, smiling at him.

He looks like I just hit him. "Really? Y-you think so?"

I nod several times. "Yeah. It's a nice name."

He stares blankly at me for several moments. Has no one ever said that before?

"W-wha… What's your name?" he ends up settling on.

I giggle for the third time. "It's Ray," I answer. The understanding is clear on his face.

He's not too bad.

"Do you wanna be friends?" I ask, hoping he says yes.

He looks like I hit him again. "F…f-friends?" The word sounds strange on his tongue.

I smile at him and nod again. "Yeah, silly! Let's be friends!"

"Oh… Uh… Okay?" he responds slowly, shifting around almost uncomfortably. But then he returns my smile.

"Ray, come on. We have to go home, now," Daddy's voice calls from the other side of the playground.

"Okay Daddy, coming!" I call back. I hop off the swing and start running, glancing back at the silver-haired boy one last time. He's still standing there.

Daddy catches my hand and leads me back to the car, but all I can think about is the new friend that I made.

I wonder when I'll see him again.

* * *

 **ZARC:**

The first time I see her, she's all on her own, rocking back and forth on a swing.

Even then she was beautiful. Just the sight of her burned itself into my eyes like I was staring into the sun.

She was breathtaking.

She sees that I'm looking at her. She smiles at me and I feel my legs turning into jelly. Her eyes are like stars in the night sky.

I fall over backwards onto the sand and she giggles. I make a goofy smile and scratch my head before getting up again.

"So, what's your name?" I hear her ask. I blush a little in return.

"Promise not to laugh," I ask. She giggles for a moment, but stops herself quickly. "Okay," she says.

I take a deep breath. "It's… it's Zarc. My-my name is Zarc."

I brace for the ridicule. Except… it doesn't come.

"That's a nice name."

That's the first time I've ever heard those words in my life.

"Really? Y-you think so?"

"Yeah. It's a nice name."

"Uhh…" I have no idea how to keep talking. My tongue seems to make a knot around itself as I try to say something, anything!

"W-wha… what's your name?" I ask.

She giggles again. "It's Ray," she says. Her name is Ray. Huh. Maybe that's why she didn't laugh at my name. Hers is weird, just like mine.

"Do you wanna be friends?" she asks and I'm pretty sure I died right there.

"F…f-friends?"

"Yeah, silly! Let's be friends!"

"Oh… Uh… Okay?" I say tentatively. Back then I never even knew what friends were. Never had any.

"Ray, come on. We have to go home, now," a voice calls out from across the playground. It's coming from an adult. Her father.

I wish I had a father.

"Okay Daddy, coming!" She jumps off the swing and leaves me there.

I'm still reeling from the shock.

* * *

 **S-S: …And that's part one of twelve!**

 **Doccy: It looks real good.**

 **S-S: Well, of course it does!** _ **You're**_ **the one that came up with the scene first through Zarc's POV. I just filled in the blanks in Ray's POV afterwards, and made hers first because of consistency reasons later on in this.**

 **Doccy: Hey, don't give me all the credit. Your work is amazing too. Don't forget,** _ **you**_ **wrote some of the later scenes first and I thought they were perfect.**

 **S-S: *Scratches ear* …W-Well, yeah, I did. Hah. I'm sometimes too humble or nice for my own good. Seriously, someone at my work actually told me I say "Sorry" more than any person ever should. I just default to it whenever I think I almost bumped into someone even if I was nowhere close to touching them.**

 **Doccy: Take some credit for once, you deserve it.**

 **S-S: Thanks. We both deserve some with this.**

 **Doccy: Yep.**

 **S-S: *Turns to readers* Well guys? Please leave a review telling us what you thought!**


	2. Scene 2: The First Duel

**A/N: Shimmering-Sky here, the chat-like author's notes will return for the last scene.**

 **Doesn't mean that Doccy poured any less effort into this chapter, though! He did a great job and you guys should all thank him!**

 **Anyways, we don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. Here's some more fluff for you guys!**

 **It's been several years since the last chapter, by the way.**

* * *

" _ **Dueling is supposed to be fun!" / 'Fun? Dueling… for fun?'**_

* * *

 **RAY**

 _That couldn't have been him_ , I tell myself as I walk alone through the streets. I'd caught a glimpse of a boy with silver hair weaving through the crowd of weekend tourists. These past few years, my heart would start racing whenever I saw someone with that hair color, but none of them had been him.

Still… what if it was?

It was that slim chance that has me running through the streets in an attempt to find the boy that might be Zarc. I have no idea where he could have gone, I barely know anything about him other than his name.

I find him at the playground where we first met. The crowd gathered around it confuses me. It's been abandoned for quite a while now, ever since a new one had been built on the other side of town.

That's when I see the Duel, if you can call it one. The crowd cheers as two dragons charge at their opponent, but I can't move. Anger, I feel _anger_. And it's not mine.

The loser is sprawled out on the ground, cursing his luck. The winner accepts money from the crowd… and then looks right at me.

My heart freezes in my chest. It really is _him_.

He looks away first, a hint of shame on his face, and briskly walks away. When I call after him, he doesn't look back.

It takes me ten minutes to catch up to him. Any longer and he probably would've gotten away. He says my name, and I look up at him with the best mock-glare I can muster.

"Idiot. Couldn't you at least wait for me?" I say through my strained attempts at breathing.

His jaw hangs open and he stares until he decides to awkwardly hold his hand up like a wave. "Hi?"

Despite what it took to get me here, I laugh. He hasn't changed one bit. "It's okay, Zarc. After all, friends forgive each other, right?"

I don't miss the confusion on his face as he replies, "…Sure." Then he adds, "Why are you here?", and I don't miss the defensive yet worried tone underlying his question.

 _Because I wanted to see you again._

That's what I _want_ to say. Instead, the words out of my mouth are, "What is with your Dueling? You fight like it's some sort of war. Dueling is supposed to be fun!"

Which is true, Duel Monsters should make people smile. The way Zarc defeated his opponent… that was the exact opposite of it.

At his blank look, I continue, "It's about the spectacle, Zarc. The show, the smiles on people's faces."

He still stares at me like I'm lying. "R-really?"

"That is what it's all about, Zarc. Making people happy."

He doesn't respond. He looks away, fiddles with his hands, and then looks back at me. "Could… could you… show me?"

I offer him my warmest smile. "Always, Zarc. I'll always make you happy."

I hope he doesn't notice the blush spread across my face.

"S-s-sure!" he stutters as he pulls out his Duel Disk. "L-let's Duel, then!"

I hold in a chuckle. This is _just_ why I missed him so much.

Once I ready my own Duel Disk, I smile at him again. "You got it, Zarc! Let's have fun!"

* * *

 **ZARC:**

I don't have many things. I have my clothes, I have the room at the orphanage, but apart from that, I don't have anything I can really call mine.

Except for one thing.

My Deck.

I've had it for as long as I can remember. The old nun who runs the orphanage told me it was a gift from God.

A gift? To me, it's a curse.

The Deck is strong. I'm strong.

But people get scared of me when I Duel. I don't know why. I just like to Duel. I just want people to enjoy my spectacle.

But there was one Duel that changed my life. The one where I met her again.

I was back in the old playground, it having been lost to time. The swing where I first saw Ray was rusted and broken. I came here every day because nobody really came here anymore.

That made it perfect for underground Dueling. I was too old to stay at the orphanage all the time except when I had to sleep, but the food there was miniscule and far between. I had to make ends meet somehow.

I'm standing there, Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion summoned in front of me. With a single word my two dragons rush forward to attack, and I win yet again.

I glance out at the small crowd as I'm handed the couple thousand yen for my victory. That's when I see her. She's just as beautiful as I remember. How long had she been here? Has she been here before, and I haven't just noticed her?

I quickly look away and turn to leave.

After ten minutes of walking I hear someone running behind me. I turn around, and there she is. Panting and sweating.

"Ray," I mutter, speechless.

"Idiot," she replies. "Couldn't you at least wait for me?"

I don't know what to say. "Uhh… Uhh… Hi?" I say, my words failing me.

She giggles again. I'm such a goof. "It's okay, Zarc. After all, friends forgive each other, right?"

They do? Is that what a friend is?

"…Sure," I reply. "Why are you here?" I ask, with an underlying _what were you doing there?_

"What is with your Dueling?" she asks, ignoring my question. "You fight like it's some sort of war. Dueling is supposed to be fun!"

Fun? Dueling… for fun?

"It's about the spectacle, Zarc. The show, the smiles on people's faces."

Smiles… Smiles. That word sticks with me for some reason. Smiles… Is that what it's all about?

"R-really?" I say, incredulously. Were there more ways to Duel? A way that made people happy?

"That is what it's all about, Zarc. Making people happy."

I'm silent for a moment. "Could… could you… show me?"

She smiles. "Always, Zarc. I'll always make you happy."

My entire face becomes red.

"S-s-sure!" I say, attempting to brush it off. I reach into my back and pull out my Duel Disk. "L-let's Duel, then!"

She pulls out her own Duel Disk and her own Deck to match mine. "You got it, Zarc! Let's have fun!"

* * *

 **A/N: Aw, Zarc has a crush. So cute.**

 **It makes knowing the ending of this hurt that much more.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have the time!**


	3. Scene 3: It's Not a Date

**A/N: Yep, I'm back again already with another chapter. This one's set a bit after the previous one, and it's still quite fluffy.**

 **Once again, neither Doccy nor I own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. Enjoy!**

* * *

" _ **It's not a date." / "Except it totally is."**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

"-Odd-Eyes Dragon, direct attack!" he declares, and the entire audience is on their feet cheering as the dragon unleashes a dazzling burst of crimson energy to destroy his opponent and win the Duel.

No one's cheering as loud as I am, though. By winning this, Zarc not only obtained a place in the upcoming tournament, he also proved just how far his Dueling has come in just a year. He _really_ gets it; even his dragon is smiling.

We lock eyes for a moment, all the way across the stadium, and I swear his grin grows wider. I'm sure mine does.

He exits the stage and I'm there, having hopped over the barrier because the rest of the crowd was taking _way_ too long to move. He catches me and spins me around for a good minute or so. Our laughter fills the area too, until we quit spinning and he pulls me close.

"I did it," he breathes into my ear. "I really did it!"

Yes, he did, but he doesn't realize his grip around me is so tight there's no room for me to breathe. I can only manage short, shallow breaths that still make me lightheaded because that is _far_ from enough air.

"Ugh-Zarc," I groan, hoping that the sound of my voice will make him realize that he's just about to choke me to death.

It works. He lets go and I double over, trying to breathe. I hear him offer an apology, saying he doesn't know his own strength. Like _hell_ he doesn't know his own strength, he knows his limits.

When he leans in to check on me, I shoot him a glare and punch him in the face. He deserves falling down like an idiot. "Zarc you maniac, are you _trying_ to kill me?!" I screech at him as he pulls himself off the ground. Then I launch into a long tirade about how he really should be more careful, but judging by the stupid look on his face he isn't even listening to me.

I drop the subject by the time we reach the pseudo-locker room, and wait while he collects his things. When he's done, he looks back at me with his signature stupid grin and-dammit, I can't stay mad at a face like that.

"So. I did fantastic out there, didn't I?"

I can't lie to him either. "Yeah, you really did, Zarc. Your Dueling has really come a long way,"

He cuts me off, saying it's not him but his cards. I'm sure it's not entirely that, but the mention of cards stops my argument in its tracks.

 _My_ qualifiers, for a different tournament, are next month. And even though it's so far away, I've heard a _lot_ about the others signed up for it too. I'm… I'm _afraid_ that my cards won't be good enough.

"Speaking of cards…" I trail off, looking away from Zarc. God, this is so embarrassing. "I-I was wondering if you'd h-help me… make my deck better?"

He stares at me in confusion, the same look he'd given me back when we first met and told him he had a nice name.

…He's so _dense_ sometimes. "Please! I'm worried my Deck might not be good enough for my qualifiers next month and I need a fresh perspective to help me!" When his only response is his dumb stuttering, I huff at him in annoyance, and call him a second-rate Duelist.

Apparently the wrong choice of words.

The next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground with Zarc on top of me. His face is about an inch from mine. His yellow eyes widen as we both realize the position we're in, and I feel my face heat up. Have we ever been this close before, outside of a hug?

He breaks the ice with a nervous laugh as he pushes himself off of me, a laugh I can't help but join in on. That awkward laughter continues for about a minute until I feel my heart's back at its normal pace and my face doesn't feel like it's on fire anymore.

"So…" I start to say. "Did-did you want to-"

"Of course," he says immediately. "Of course I'll help you, Ray. I'll buy us some lunch and we can look over your Deck there. Then we'll see what kind of cards you need."

 _Thank goodness_. It feels like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders.

Then I think about just what he said, and my heart speeds up again.

"Oh. Like-like a… a date?" I ask slowly.

His face goes red again, and he shakes his head and his arms fervently. "Nononono-" he replies. "It's not a date. I'm just… buying lunch because… I'm a nice guy like that! That doesn't necessarily make it a date, no."

 _It's not a date._

That's what I try to tell myself once we're out looking over my cards, waiting for our food.

 _Except it totally is._

* * *

 **ZARC:**

"-Odd-Eyes Dragon, direct attack!" I declare as my dragon reels back before unleashing a crimson blast of energy, shattering my opponent's monster in a shower of light as it wipes away all his remaining Life Points.

The horn signalling victory blares, and I can't resist raising my hand into the air in triumph. Finally, I've finally gotten through the qualifying rounds! That means I'm officially in the upcoming tournament!

I just can't stop smiling as Odd-Eyes glances towards me with this look in his eyes. He looks happy for once. I've never seen him like this before. Then the hologram fades and there I stand, up there on the field after a good Duel.

But there's one thing that makes my victory all the sweeter. And that's the fact that when I look out at the stands, I see Ray there, cheering for me. This damn smile just won't go away, and I love it.

I turn around and begin to walk down from the stage, still grinning like an idiot. The moment I exit the arena Ray storms down from the stands and almost tackles me. I lift her up and spin her around in the air. We're both laughing so much.

"I did it," I breathe. "I really did it!"

I pull Ray in close and hug her as hard as I can, squeezing her against me maybe a bit too hard. But I don't notice, as I'm on cloud nine right now. I don't even pay attention when Ray begins making choking noises.

"Ugh-Zarc," She groans and only then I realize it. I was probably a bit _too_ eager there.

I immediately let go and she falls down onto her feet again. "Sorry," I say. "I guess I don't know my own strength," I say while scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

Ray breathes heavily for a few seconds, and I'm worried for a second. Is she okay? I bend over a little for a moment, and that moment is all Ray needs to punch me right in my stupid face and send me toppling backwards from the sudden force.

"Zarc you maniac!" She screeches. "Are you trying to kill me?" I slowly push myself off the ground while she prattles on about how I need to be more careful and everything while I pretend I'm listening.

A few minutes later we find ourselves in the pseudo-locker room where I'm packing all my stuff back into my backpack so we can leave. "So," I begin with a grin on my face. "I did fantastic out there, didn't I?" This goddamn grin won't leave me.

"Yeah, you really did, Zarc. Your Dueling has really come a long way,"

"No, it's got nothing to do with me. It's thanks to this Deck I managed to win," I spare a short thought to my Deck and all the cards in it; but most importantly my four dragons. It's all thanks to them I made it this far.

"Speaking of cards…" Ray begins, and there's this uneasiness in her voice I haven't ever heard before. It's weird. "I-I was wondering if you'd h-help me… make my deck better?"

My eyebrows rise in confusion.

"Please! I'm worried my Deck might not be good enough for my qualifiers next month and I need a fresh perspective to help me!"

"I-Uhh…" I reply, not sure what to say.

She huffs at me in response. "Of course that's your response, you immature second-rate Duelist-"

"I'm no second-rate!" I reply before suddenly pouncing on her. We tumble around for a second, and then we stop. She's lying with her back on the floor. I'm right on top of her. Our eyes meet. Our faces both become bright red as the situation sinks in.

We stay like that, completely frozen.

Then I nervously begin to laugh. She begins laughing too. I push myself off of her and we both keep laughing in that embarrassed, unsure way. We both take a deep breath as we try to calm down. "So…" Ray nervously begins. "Did-do you want to-"

"Of course," I reply. "Of course I'll help you, Ray," I reply. "I'll buy us some lunch and we can look over your Deck there. Then we'll see what kind of cards you need."

"Oh," Ray replies. "Like-like a… a date?" She realizes, and we both go bright red again.

"Nononono-" I reply. "It's not a date. I'm just… buying lunch because… I'm a nice guy like that! That doesn't necessarily make it a date, no," I begin, trying to cover my intentions up. It's not a date.

 _It's totally a date._

* * *

 **A/N: Ahh this part of the story is just, the feels, but in a good way.**

 **Please review!**


	4. Scene 4: To Protect Loved Ones

**A/N: Sorry about the wait guys, I got distracted with writing a transcript for a very complicated Duel for one of my stories.**

 **Now** **… well** **…** **I apologize ahead of time for this chapter. It's, um…**

 ***Sigh***

 **This is one of the ones that I wrote first, upon Doccy giving me this prompt for the scene: "Maybe a mugging or something along those lines. Someone tries to mug Ray and Zarc beats the crap out of the offender. Then we can have Zarc be horrified by the violence he committed so we can emphasize when he starts to walk the dark path."**

 **Now, if you guys don't know, I used to be** _ **really**_ **into crime solving shows. I've seen a** _ **lot**_ **of things more disturbing than a simple mugging in those shows. Naturally, so have my muses. And you must know that my muses must twist everything around and all that mess.**

 **This isn't anywhere close to as dark as stuff from those shows, hence why this story remains a T-rating, but still.** **WARNING: Attempted rape and relatively graphic violence. If this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skim to the end of each section (because there's more to this chapter than just this whole, thing).**

 **I'm really sorry about this, guys.**

 **Neither Doccy nor I own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V…**

* * *

" _ **All I could think of was how I could make him suffer for it…" / "**_ **Zarc** _ **. Shut up and listen to me."**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

I check my Duel Disk for the time. _11:43 p.m._ He's thirteen minutes late for our "midnight escapade", as he'd called it. I lean back on the bench and tap my foot to the beat of a song that's been stuck in my head all day. He better get here soon, if my dad finds out I'm not actually asleep in my room, he's _definitely_ going to ground me forever.

"Where are you, Zarc…?" I wonder aloud, standing up from the bench to stretch out my legs.

There's still no sign of my (unofficial) boyfriend, so I sigh and go to call him. I _swear_ if he fell asleep or got distracted by a duel or something…

I'm waiting for him answer when someone lets out a shrewd whistle from right behind me, so loud and startling that I flinch and my Duel Disk slips out of my hands. When I go to grab it the guy who whistled grabs my wrist and yanks me back. I smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Mm, y've gotta _fine_ ass, giiirl," he says.

 _Shit. Shit. Ohh shit._

"Let-let me _go_!" I screech, blindly trying to elbow him with my free arm or maybe kick him. But the more I struggle, the more he twists my arm. It hurts so much I see _red_. I try to scream, but he catches me in a headlock and now I can't even _breathe_.

 _Shit. Air. I need-I need_ air _!_

Black. All I see is black.

" _ **HEY!"**_

And then, yellow filled with bloodlust.

" _Let. Go. Of. Her,_ " I hear Zarc growl, and the grip around my neck loosens enough for me to gulp down the air I've been missing. But not enough for me to free myself.

"Aw, this yer girl, kid?" the man taunts.

 _Stopstopstopstopstop-_

Suddenly I'm free. I fall to my knees, choking, crying, and that's all I hear. Not the sound of Zarc repeatedly punching and kicking the man in the face and gut and _everywhere_ as hard as he can.

I hear the sound of bones cracking, and I let out a weak cry of, "Stop."

The sounds of fighting cease. The guy that had assaulted me crawls off, moaning in pain.

Zarc rushes over and pulls me tight, tighter than he ever has before. We're both crying so loudly, I'm surprised no one's come to see us yet. His hands are covered in blood. I don't know if it's his or the guy's. He whispers apologies on repeat into my ear, but I hardly note them.

All I can think of is the _look_ in his eyes when he'd first shown up.

And, and the fact that the fighting had stopped when I'd made that cry. There's no way that creep would have stopped because of that, it had to be _Zarc_ that listened to me.

He must sense my unease, because he lets go of me. The sudden lack of contact feels so _wrong_ that I reach out to pull him back. He just slaps my hand away as he stares at his bloodstained ones in numb _horror_.

"I-I would've killed that guy," he mutters. "If-if you hadn't-I would've-"

"Zarc-"

" _No_. I-when I saw him g-groping you, I just-all I could think of was how I could make him _suffer_ for it," Zarc says. "I can't-I just-"

" _Zarc_. Shut up and listen to me."

He lowers his hands and stares at me numbly, not a look I'm comfortable with. I take one of his hands and he flinches, trying to pull it out of my grasp. At my glare, he quits struggling. "Zarc, look at your hands."

"I _am_! They just show-"

"-that you would do anything to protect me. _Everyone_ wants to protect the people they…" I swallow nervously. "…they love. That's not so wrong, is it?"

He blinks, and back comes his confused face I've come to love over the years. Then realization sparks across his face as he realizes what I just said. "Wait-Ray-you-!"

I shut him up by pressing my lips onto his.

* * *

 **ZARC:**

"Crap, I'm late!" It's 11:43, and I'm thirteen minutes late to the midnight escapade I planned for Ray. Damn sponsors just had to call, and it just couldn't wait, which means now I'm late!

"Please still be there, please still be there-" I mutter to myself as I sprint down the streets towards the bench we were supposed to meet by, running as fast as I possibly can.

Already now I'm going through in my head how I'm gonna apologize to Ray for being late, and how I'm gonna try to make it up to her. She is going to kill me. She is gonna be so angry and she's gonna leave me.

I'm worried out of my head as I'm about to round the corner, ready to say a thousand apologies to Ray if she's there.

But the exact moment I round the corner all that goes right out the window. She's there, but someone else is too. She's squirming, she's being _groped and strangled…_ I can feel my teeth grinding together so hard they're almost gonna break.

" _ **HEY!"**_ I snarl, getting the attention of both Ray and the person attempting to molest her.

I'm angry. I feel angry. I don't feel anything else. I'm just so angry. There's nothing else on my mind at that point. Nothing but rage.

" _Let. Go. Of. Her."_ That is the only warning my mind is willing to give. He scoffs at my warning and laughs in response. He asks if she's my girl.

 _Yes. Yes she fucking is. Now let fucking go of her._

Then I stop caring. I break into a sprint with renewed vigor towards that bastard and slam into him, breaking his grip on Ray. I don't even notice how I seem so much stronger than I've ever been in my life as I break his balance and send him down to the ground.

Then I pounce on him and start pummeling him. I punch whatever I can hit, I go berserk. I go crazy. Nobody hurts Ray. Nobody. Nobody.

I don't even notice myself breaking his ribs.

" _Stop,"_ I hear as a choked cry. I immediately know it's Ray. She's telling me to stop. And I stop. I back away as that bastard crawls away into the night and I'm left there, with blood on my hands.

Instinct makes me rush over to Ray and immediately wrap my arms around her in a protective embrace. Tears are welling down her eyes from it all, and I start crying as well. Our choked cries echo through the night.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," I repeat while keeping her in my embrace. I keep my arms around her like she'll vanish from them any moment.

Then it starts to sink in. Everything I've done. I would have killed him if Ray hadn't stopped me. I let go of her and back away, my eyes glued to my hands. They're covered with that bastard's blood.

"I-I would've killed that guy," I mutter in horror. The blood seems to vibrate, it seems like it's drilling into my hands and never going away. "If-if you hadn't-I would've-"

"Zarc-" Ray mutters, but I can't listen. I'm a monster. I did this without even thinking.

" _No_. I-when I saw him g-groping you, I just-all I could think of was how I could make him _suffer_ for it,"

The blood is still there when I look down at my hands again. It feels like it's alive. It's warm and sticky and makes me feel like I'm gonna vomit.

" _Zarc_. Shut up and listen to me." Ray brings me out of my trance. I break my eyes away from my hands and look at her. Tearlines are still thick and obvious on her face. She tries to hold one of my hands, but I try pull it away. This blood doesn't have to be on her hands too. She looks at me and I stop. "Zarc, look at your hands."

"I am!" I exclaim. "They just show-" _-that I'm a monster,_ I was about to say.

"-that you would do anything to protect me." Ray interrupts. " _Everyone_ wants to protect the people they…" she swallows nervously. "…they love. That's not so wrong, is it?"

I'm confused. Is it okay? Is it okay because I was trying to protect Ray? Wait- "Wait-Ray-you-!"

Whatever I'm about to say goes right out the window when Ray presses her lips to mine.

* * *

 **A/N: …W-Well, at least they had their first kiss? And Ray basically admitted she loves Zarc?**

…

… **Right guys?**


	5. Scene 5: Ten Years

**A/N: Alright, well, after the dark stuff that was last chapter, here's one last fluffy chapter before everything goes downhill.**

 **And the weirdest thing is, this is another one that I wrote the part to first! My muses actually _can_ write relatively innocent fluff when they decide to!**

 **We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, but we hope you enjoy this story!**

* * *

" **Uhh, no sir. We're just talking about the uhh… the tournament, yes!" / "Yeah, we were about to go through our cards to make sure we're both prepared."**

* * *

 **RAY:**

Zarc is already at the café by the time I get there, absentmindedly stirring the ice in his drink with the straw. He looks bored, with his free hand propping up his head. His eyes are shut, if he wasn't stirring the ice I would think he'd dozed off.

I check my watch just to be safe. _2:27_. I'm actually _early_ to our date by three minutes, yet it looks like Zarc's been here for quite a while.

I smile, gently setting down my purse before walking as quietly as I can over to behind my boyfriend, and I throw my arms around him, giving him a peck on the cheek as I do so. His face runs red as he stiffens, then immediately relaxes he realizes that it's just me.

I let go of him and sit down, and a waitress comes by. I order a drink and a light salad—I'm not too hungry right now—while he orders an entire meal for himself, plus a bowl of ice cream for the both of us afterwards.

"So…" he starts. "…Nice weather today, huh?"

The sun is warm on my arms. "We wouldn't be sitting outside otherwise," I reply, leaning back in my seat. "But, yeah, it's beautiful out here. Just like the day we first met…"

"Y-Yeah," Zarc agreed.

I don't miss his stutter, is he _nervous_? There's no reason for that. "Zarc, we've known each other for ten years now. There's no need to be nervous."

"I'm not _nervous_ ," he bites back, a mock scowl on his face. "I just… don't know what to talk about."

"…Honestly, neither do I."

We sit there for several moments, contemplating our drinks.

Then Zarc says, "It's really been ten years? It feels like just yesterday that I first saw you on that swing."

I chuckle a little as I remember that. "Feels like just yesterday that I saw you fall into that sandbox."

"Y-You remember _that_?"

"Of course, that goofy smile you made after you got back up was what _convinced_ me that you had to be my friend."

He blushes, scratches his ear, and makes the same smile I'd just been talking about. "Really? I never knew…"

"You never knew _what_ , exactly?" someone interjects before I can answer, his voice booming with disapproval.

I nearly fall out of my chair, my heart feeling like it just leapt into my throat. My _father_ is here for reasons I don't know, his arms folded across his chest and a _very_ suspicious glare directed towards Zarc. I thought he didn't get off until five today, that's why I told Zarc I was free.

"F-Father? What are you doing here?"

He doesn't even look away from Zarc. " _I_ was allowed to go home early today, and decided to stop for a late lunch on my way home. What are _you_ doing here, Ray?"

Ugh. This is _exactly_ why I didn't tell him I was going out with Zarc, he's _way_ too protective of me. I have a _part-time job_ , doesn't _that_ prove I'm responsible enough to have friends that are guys?

"I finished all of my homework, and decided to go out. Is that so wrong?"

"As a… _date_?" my father asks, almost hissing the last word.

Zarc immediately shakes his head. "Uhh, no sir. We're just talking about the uhh… the tournament, yes!"

 _That's the cover we're going with? Alright. You could be a little_ less _suspicious though, Zarc._

"Yeah, we were about to go through our cards to make sure we're both prepared," I say. "You showed up after I mentioned that Yugi Muto himself is supposed to make an appearance, which Zarc apparently didn't know."

My father purses his lips. He definitely doesn't believe that, _everyone_ knew that the King of Games was going to be there, but it was the best thing I could come up with on the spot.

I sigh and exaggeratedly roll my eyes. "Father, you should trust me more. I'm seven _teen_ , not _seven_."

"I _trust_ you," he retorts, "I'm just… worried about your safety."

Our food comes out at that point, and the conversation ends. And since my father pulled up a chair to sit with us, we can't talk about anything other than the tournament and our cards.

What a day…

* * *

 **ZARC:**

The clock is 2:26 as I sit, waiting at the café for my second date with Ray. What happened back then is still fresh in my mind, so I make sure to arrive a little earlier.

Okay, when I say a little earlier I mean quite a bit earlier. Okay, I arrived half an hour before. Yeah, last time is still very much on my mind, even if I pretend it's not. I'm not letting something like that happen to Ray ever again.

I'm sitting there, idly stirring in the ice of my drink as I wait for Ray to arrive. The clock turns 2:27 and I close my eyes for a moment to enjoy the sunshine.

Then I feel a pair of arms grabbing me from behind. I'm about to react and punch whoever's doing it in the head, but then I feel a quick kiss on my cheeks and I start blushing profusely. It only takes me a moment to figure out that it's Ray who has just turned up. I relax and smile.

She's so beautiful.

Ray sits down in front of me, and a waitress comes over to us. I order a good meal for myself, but Ray apparently isn't too hungry herself, as she just orders a salad and a drink. In order to try and get her to cheer up a little, I add a bowl of ice cream for the two of us to share to the order.

Then the awkward silence settles in as the waitress goes away with our orders. The both of us just sit there, neither of us having any idea what to say.

"So…" I start nervously. "…Nice weather today, huh?"

The sun is warm on my neck. "We wouldn't be sitting outside otherwise," Ray replies as she slowly leans back in her seat. "But, yeah, it's beautiful out here. Just like the day we first met…" Ray trails off for a moment, and I can feel my cheeks get just a little bit red as I remember.

"Y-Yeah," I say, a tiny bit of nervousness in my voice.

"Zarc, we've known each other for ten years now. There's no need to be nervous."

"I'm not _nervous_ ," I lie, making a mock scowl at her. "I just…" I begin, but words fail me for a second. "…don't know what to talk about," I admit.

"Honestly, neither do I," Ray replies, and the silence settles back in. We just sit there for a moment, contemplating over our drinks.

"It's really been ten years?" I suddenly say, completely out of the blue. "It feels like just yesterday when I saw you on that swing."

I can still see her. Still swinging through the air without a care in the world.

Even then she was beautiful.

Ray lets out a small chuckle. "Feels just like yesterday when I saw you fall into that sandbox," she replies, and my cheeks redden from the memory.

"Y-You remember that?"

"Of course, that goofy smile you made after you got up was what convinced me that you had to be my friend."

I scratch my ear and make that same smile she remembers. I can see her smile as well when I do it. "Really, I never knew…" I begin, but I trail off for a moment.

"You never knew what, exactly?" I hear a deep voice say. I turn my head to the right, and a very, very tall man is standing there. And he's glaring at me like I'm some demon attempting to seduce Ray and use her for my own ends. I feel like I'm three inches tall.

"F-Father? What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, it all makes sense. This is her dad; Leo Akaba.

 _Oh I am so screwed._

He doesn't take his eyes off me for a second. " _I_ was allowed to go home early today, and decided to stop for a late lunch on my way home. What are _you_ doing here, Ray?"

Ray told me why she never told her dad about the two of us dating. Since her mother passed away, her dad has been _very_ overprotective. Coupled with the fact that me being late one time nearly led to Ray being _raped_ , if her dad ever knew he would kill me.

And now he's here. I have never been this terrified in my life.

"I finished all of my homework, and decided to go out. Is that so wrong?" Ray's voice has a tone of annoyance below the fear. She's clearly not happy with her dad's overprotectiveness.

"As a… _date_?" Her father's voice almost becomes a hiss with the last word, and I know I have to say something or we're both screwed.

I shake my head violently. "Uhh, no sir. We're just talking about the uhh… the tournament, yes!" I say, quickly pulling something out. I immediately regret my choice of lie, but it's what I could come up with and I guess I have to roll with it now.

"Yeah, we were about to go through our cards to make sure we're both prepared," Ray adds, and I immediately relax. Okay, so we've got our story straight. "You showed up after I mentioned that Yugi Muto himself is supposed to make an appearance, which Zarc apparently didn't know."

Oh Ray. Bad, bad choice of words. I guess we're both in the same boat. Couldn't she just have said she told me about some combo I had never heard about before? I sigh just a little to vent some of my nervousness as her dad purses his lips. I doubt he believes us.

Ray then makes an excellent decision. She turns the whole conversation on its head to smoothly pull the conversation away from our lie and over to something else. "Father, you should trust me more. I'm seven _teen_ , not _seven_."

"I _trust_ you," he retorts, "I'm just… worried about your safety." She has a dad that worries about her. I wonder what that's like. I never really knew my dad, or my mom for that matter. All I've known is the orphanage.

The conversation ends at that point as the waitress comes out with our food. To the dismay of both Ray and I, her father pulls up a chair and sits with us at the table, which means means we have to stick to our story and that promptly kills any hope for any romanticism.

I sigh. This is gonna be a long day.

* * *

 **A/N: Ah, Leo. Overprotective much?**

 **Please, tell us what you think in a review!**


	6. Scene 6: The Fall

**A/N: Today's been a really good day for me. I found a shiny Cubone in Pokemon Moon, I got my special coat in the mail, and I just got home from a very successful band concert wherein I had my first solo.**

 **Sounds like the perfect time to post the very last build-up chapter to before the _fun_ from canon.**

 **Haha.**

 **Neither Doccy nor I own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **"I'm so glad you're okay!" / "It's alright, Zarc. I'm here now. I'm alive."**

* * *

 **RAY:**

"…with this, my Life Points aren't touched, and I get to draw a card!" I shout as I let go of my monster to draw a card. I've done this so many times before, both during Duels and during the hours and hours I spend practicing with Zarc (under the supervision of my father, of course), so I think nothing of it.

Which is why I don't expect the force of the attack connecting with my monster to be so strong.

I try to grab a hold of my monster again, but I can barely clutch a tuft of my monster's near-realistic fur with my fingertips before I'm falling…

…and falling…

I see red right before my face connects with the ground, and then everything goes black.

…

…

…

… _Beep beep…_

…

… _Beep beep…_

In. Out. In. Out. Aside from the dull beeping, the only thing I can hear is my own breathing. My head throbs the moment I try to open my eyes, so I leave them shut as I try to remember what had happened.

Duel. I was dueling. And… I fell?

That has to be it. The low beeping must be my heart.

I try to open my eyes again. I manage to get them open for a few seconds, seeing nothing but the darkened hospital room, and then they're shut again and my entire body feels exhausted. Trying to move any other part of my body just makes that feeling get worse.

I think I fall back to sleep after that, because the next thing I know, I'm taking in a sharp breath of air, the heart rate monitor a shrill noise beside me. I'm sitting up now, a hand over my chest, trying to calm down. The memory of my head slamming into the concrete pounds against my skull…

Someone moves around next to me. I look over, and see Zarc's familiar yellow eyes, still glazed over from sleep. "Nn… Ray…?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. A split second later, his hand drops and all the tiredness vanishes from his eyes. "Wait—Ray!"

I barely have enough time to _blink_ before his arms are around me and he's sobbing into my shoulder. His embrace is almost too tight, but I can't bring myself to make him let me go.

"I'm… I'm so glad you're okay," Zarc says, once he's calmed down enough to speak. "You… You hit the ground so hard, the doctors weren't sure if—"

He chokes up again, and I move my arm to reassuredly pat his back.

"It's alright, Zarc. I'm here now. I'm alive."

His grip loosens some after that, but we stay like that for a good several minutes, no words passing between us. None are needed.

We're forced apart by my father returning to the room, two cups of coffee in his hands along with a tray of hospital food.

It's then that I learn I've been unconscious for four days.

No wonder Zarc was so worried about me…

* * *

 **ZARC:**

It makes me feel a slight tang of pride when I see Ray Action Duel with such skill. Because I've trained her to be this good. Under her father's ever watchful eye, of course. Jeez, that guy never fails to scare the crap out of me.

Now, she's just doing the same maneuver as she always does. Brace for impact when you've used Defense Draw. Except something goes wrong. She loses her balance.

She falls off.

Oh god, _she fell off_!

She hits the floor of the arena on her head, and I see the blood splattering out from the back of it. I rush up from the stands to get to her, but she's already out cold when I get to her. I cradle her in my arms as she slowly bleeds on my hand.

Moments later an ambulance has arrived and I immediately place her on the stretcher so she can be rushed to the hospital. I can barely process it all. It's only after she's gone that I notice I've been crying.

Then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up, and it's Leo. Unlike almost every other time I've been anywhere near him, he doesn't look like he actively believes I'm going to do bad things to his daughter. For once he actually looks like he understands how much I love her.

"Come on," He says. "I'll drive us to the hospital."

When we arrive, Ray is already being operated on. So we sit there and wait. Every second feels like an hour.

Until Leo finally breaks the silence.

"You really love her, don't you?" There's almost a hint of a smile on his face as he says it.

"Yeah," I reply. "I really do. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me in all my seventeen years."

He gives me one more look and already he can see that I blame myself for what happened. I trained her, I should have trained her better, if I had this wouldn't have happened.

He doesn't say anything.

An hour later, the doctor comes out to meet us. He says we can go in and see her now.

She looks so peaceful, even after having an operation conducted in her skull as a result of a dreadful injury. The doctor tells us she's in a coma, and nobody knows when she'll wake up again.

I can't bring myself to leave her. I call my agent and ask him to have my next match postponed. I need to be by her side, no matter what. She'd do the same for me, wouldn't she?

The days pass by like a scent on the wind. I barely notice time. Not until I'm sitting there with a wet cloth on her head that exhaustion finally hits and the darkness claims me.

Then I hear something. That sound Ray always makes when she breathes out. "Nn, Ray…" I groan unwillingly, and then move my hands to my eyes. I immediately wake up and there she is; awake. "Wait-Ray!" I exclaim, and in a desperate attempt to be sure this isn't a dream, I wrap my arms around her.

She's real alright. It's her. And the tears come flooding out. I don't know how long I'm there, hugging her tight like she'll fade away any moment. "I'm-I'm so glad you're okay. You… You hit the ground so hard, the doctors weren't sure if—"

"It's alright, Zarc. I'm here now. I'm alive." Her voice makes all thoughts grind to a halt. All I can think about is her. She's here. She's alive. She's gonna be okay. The love of my life is still here.

We keep embracing each other for as long as we can. We don't say anything. We don't need to.

Until at last, Leo comes walking in with a tray of food and two cups of coffee.

* * *

 **A/N: It really is a shame that this will all unravel starting next chapter.**

 **Please review!**


	7. Scene 7: Start of Darkness

**A/N: So. Here it is. Our take on where Zarc's descent into darkness starts.**

 **And NO, IT'S NOT ZARC GETTING REVENGE ON THE GUY THAT HURT RAY LAST CHAPTER! *Glares at Donjusticia through the computer screen***

 **With that out of the way, we don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. Enjoy!**

* * *

" _ **C-can I see Ray?" / "Tell him… tell him I'm sick. I don't want him to-to see me like this."**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

I hate not being there in person to support Zarc in the final match of this tournament, but my head's been hurting all day and no amount of painkillers were making it go away, and my dad all but ordered me to stay in bed and rest. At the very least, I have a TV in my room, so I can watch it play out.

I don't know why I was worried about missing something, he's winning like he always has as of late. It makes me proud to see how much fun he and his monsters have. It's so different from when I'd first seen him Duel and his cards had been so _angry_.

Zarc pulls off a combo that brings out Odd-Eyes, doubles its ATK, and wipes out his opponent's backrow in the process. Zarc's claimed all the Action Cards in that area of the stadium already. His victory is assured.

I jump out of my bed and cheer at the television as though Zarc will hear me through the screen. Odd-Eyes' attack seals the deal. Zarc's won again!

…Except, something's wrong. The camera's focusing on Zarc and Odd-Eyes, but the entire stadium is silent and Zarc looks _horrified_ and I can hear his opponent screaming in pain. The camera pans around and shows the poor man lying on the ground, trying to staunch the blood spewing from his shoulder.

My stomach churns, and I cover my mouth. Did Zarc do that? He couldn't have, there's just no way-

The crowd starts cheering. And Zarc smiles. He _smiles_. He goes along with the audience, gives his opponent a thumbs-down like he was a fallen Roman gladiator.

I rush out of my room without turning the TV off, and gag in the bathroom. But I don't throw up.

I've never been so _disgusted_ before. At the crowd, for _wanting_ that, and at Zarc, for giving it to them.

My father comes to check on me at some point, and tells me Zarc is here to see me. I dry my tears and stand up, only for the image of Zarc with his thumb down and his bloodthirsty grin to appear in my mind.

It's so different from the Zarc I know. The one who was horrified about beating up the man that tried to rape me. He'd been almost inconsolable then, but now he was just letting the crowd see him _enjoy_ this.

"Tell him… tell him I'm sick," I weakly tell my father through the door. "I don't want him to-to see me like this."

"…Are you alright, Ray?"

 _No. No, I'm anything_ but _okay._

"Yeah, I'm fine," I tell him. "It's just, it's just a little stomach bug."

* * *

 **ZARC:**

It's a Duel like any other. And like any other, I'm winning.

I always win these days. I keep growing stronger and stronger for each day that passes. And the audience love it. That's what matters. Making people smile. Giving them what they want. Like Ray told me. Making people happy.

But as always, pride goeth before a fall. It all started so innocuously. A standard match. A sweet combo, and the attack from Odd-Eyes seals the deal.

But when the attack hits, the monster begins to topple. And that's the moment when I realize that the monster has spikes. It comes crashing down atop its controller like an avalanche, and I hear him gurgle in pain as a spike penetrates his shoulder.

Blood. There's blood everywhere. Oh god, it's everywhere.

I can't say anything. I'm speechless. I'm horrified.

But then they start clapping. The crowd begins to chant my name even louder. They smile. And I smile on the outside. I've never felt so disgusted.

But they keep _fucking_ chanting. They get louder and louder.

So I put on my best winning smile and make a thumbs-down gesture, to evoke the ancient Roman gladiators. It only makes them cheer louder. I guess this is what they want. They want all this violence, all this death?

I'll give it to them. I'll make them choke on it. I'll give them more and more. And when they cry 'We've had enough!' I'll keep giving them more. I'll never stop.

Not until they pay me back for what they made me do.

When I finally get to leave the stadium, I feel dizzy. I feel wrong. I feel bad. I let my anger get the best of me. I can't do this, no. I need help. I need Ray.

So I forego any and all of the paparazzi, and push them away as I walk over to Ray's house. I knock on the door, and Leo is there to answer me. "C-can I see Ray?" I ask, trying not to vomit from the thought of what I did today.

Leo walks inside, leaving me there for about a minute. Then he comes back, telling me that Ray is sick and can't see me right now.

I already know that's a lie. Ray was watching, wasn't she? Without another word, I turn around and walk away.

Look at what this crowd made me do. They made me lose the only person I care about.

* * *

 **A/N: So, there you have it. It was an accident, but that doesn't matter in the end.**

 **Oh man, next chapter's gonna be a doozy. Prepare your tissues for that one.**

 **Please leave a review!**


	8. Scene 8: Separation

**A/N: ...So episode 135...**

 **Well then.**

 **So in light of that, you get this chapter, which physically hurt me to write. Have fun. Oh, and we don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V.**

* * *

" _ **please ray" / "what did i do"**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

Twenty-three missed calls, and at least three dozen unanswered texts over the past week. I stare at the screen with weary eyes as a new one comes in with a light ding to announce it.

 _/please ray/_

Short and sweet and totally like the Zarc I know. My throat tightens at the thought, and I can feel the tears starting again.

No. I won't cry. I've already cried enough over him. If he's going to _let_ himself commit such atrocities for the sake of— _God_ , how can _anyone_ call purposefully and brutally injuring someone _entertainment_?—I can't stay with him. I know this.

 _/what did i do/_

It doesn't make it hurt any less.

 _/ray please i just want an answer/_

I hesitate, my hand hovering over the power button. I can't ignore him forever. I see him often enough because of the tournaments we both participate in, and it's getting increasingly hard to not throw myself at him and pour out apology after apology for ignoring him.

 _/you there ray/_

I turn off my phone and set it aside, tugging the blankets over my head.

I don't get a wink of sleep that night.

The next day, I see him in the streets. He's just wandering, and I'm just on a walk around my neighborhood. Our eyes meet, and my heart freezes. I can't bring myself to look away, but his gaze makes me _shatter_ inside.

We stare at each other for ages, until he breaks the silence with a single word. My name.

"Zarc," I reply, my gaze finally slipping away to a bush behind him. "I-I have somewhere to be. Sorry…"

I walk past him then, but he reaches out and grabs my arm. The feeling almost makes me _sick_ —his touch reminds me of that drunk man's hands from a few years ago.

He lets me go without saying anything, and I don't look back as I briskly walk away from him.

I don't want him to see my tears.

* * *

 **ZARC:**

It's been a week since it happened. Since I hurt someone in the stadium and the damned crowd cheered to me for it. Since I last saw Ray.

I've tried to call her twenty-three times, and dozens of text messages sent, and not a word. Not a single word from her. I want to tell her I didn't want to do this, I didn't want any of this. I want to tell her that I love her and that I'm sorry.

I text her again. No answer.

I can feel the tears slowly welling up, but I ignore them. Crying won't bring her back.

I write again. No answer.

It hurts even more.

I write for a third time today. No answer. Again. I want to just put the phone away and forget all about Ray entirely, but I can't. Even when I desperately try to, she's still there. Her smile echoes through my mind, a memory I can't let go of.

I write again. I sit there all night, waiting for a reply from her that doesn't come and never will. Next thing I know the sun is shining through my new apartment. My popularity has brought with it plenty of money, meaning I can have my own home now.

Now I'm determined. I get up and walk out of the door. I need to calm myself. I need to get a clear head and try to get Ray to respond. I love her and it pains me to be without her.

Of course I just have to stumble into her on the streets. There she is, in all her beauty. I can barely hold back the betrayal I feel. I love her, I was with her whenever she needed me, I saved her, and I stayed with her while she was in a coma. Yet when I need her more than ever, she just walks away?!

"Zarc," Ray says softly. "I-I have somewhere to be. Sorry…"

She's lying. She's always been a terrible liar. I can see right through her. She can't face me, but why? Why? I need her and she's clearly in pain! I just want to be with her again!

She walks past me, but I quickly turn around and grab her by her arm. I can see how she stiffens the moment I touch her, she freezes in terror. I can just see her face, and I remember back then when I was late. When my foolishness almost got her raped.

And she has so many tears on her cheeks. I can't bring myself to stop her, and so I let her go as tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I turn away too as she vanishes into the distance.

And I'm all alone again.

* * *

 **A/N: ...So yeah, that's why this chapter hurt to write.**

 **Please review?**


	9. Scene 9: Hope You're Happy

**A/N: Welp, I just got one of the best pieces of news in my life: an acceptance letter from the college I _REALLY_ want to go to.**

 **Sounds like the perfect time to spoil the mood with some angst, right?**

 **This one's short, really short. Although there's been a significant timeskip from the events of the last chapter.**

 **We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **'This is all your fault.' / 'Own up to your own mistakes.'**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

My opponent's Life Points hit zero, the lingering holograms of my cards still spreading sparkles around the field. It's my biggest win yet, but no one's cheering for me except for my father, who is easily drowned out by the booing of the rest of the crowd.

They crave the violent, "realistic" Duels that Zarc gives them. They think that's how _everyone_ in the Pro Circuit should play, and many others have tried to step up to that.

Not me. I will _never_ Duel like that. That isn't real entertainment.

I go over to my opponent and try to help him to his feet. He just slaps my hand away as he glares at me, saying that I _should_ have hurt him. It's the only way the losers get any recognition nowadays.

What the hell is _wrong_ with these people? How could _hurting_ people suddenly become acceptable?

With a heavy heart, I turn off my Duel Disk and head to the locker room. The next Duelists are already coming out—a young woman I don't recognize… and Zarc.

The stadium erupts with cheers upon seeing him. I hear a couple shouts asking Zarc for a better Duel than mine, and I have to tightly grip my skirt to not scream back at them that this was all _so wrong_.

Ignoring the tightness in my chest, I walk towards Zarc. Our eyes don't meet; he's busy waving at the audience with an ignorant smile on his face and I don't focus on him until I'm right by his side.

He's not the Zarc I know anymore. He's let himself fall too for his "entertainment".

I narrow my eyes at him.

"I hope you're happy, Zarc."

I keep walking, without bothering to look and see if he'd even heard me.

 _This is all your fault._

* * *

 **ZARC:**

Look at little Ray, thinking she knows what's right and wrong. Look at her dance to a tune that falls on deaf ears. I start to wonder why she even Duels anymore. If she's so against the style of dueling I started, why is she exposing herself to it?

I start to wonder why I ever trusted her. She doesn't care about me, she never did. If she did she wouldn't have abandoned me. She wouldn't have left me when I needed her the most.

But that doesn't matter. She doesn't matter. Nobody matters to me, nobody but my dragons. And we crave this fame. We are powerful, we are one. We are one being, fighting in perfect unison. We are undefeatable.

Look at her, trying to help her opponent up. Her selfishness is only matched by her naivete. She thinks herself a paragon of kindness in this world. Well where was that kindness? Where was it when she ran away?

I step out of the locker room and I see Ray walking up the stairs. I don't look at her. I've seen enough of her. The crowd chants my name the moment they see me, and I smile back. Oh, how ignorant they are. I can't wait for the day I stand as the strongest.

They want blood, don't they? That's fine with me. They thirst for blood, and I intend to slake it. And when they've had their fill, I'll keep pouring. I'll keep pouring the blood down their throats until they choke on it.

I pass by Ray. She says something, but her words fall upon deaf ears. She has nothing I need to hear. She had her chance to talk to me, and she threw it away. She threw it away of her own accord. And yet she thinks this is my fault.

 _Own up to your own mistakes._

* * *

 **A/N: So, next chapter is _that_ scene.**

 **...By the way, the site's currently experiencing syncing issues with the reviews, I can see them in my email, but I can't respond to them, that's why I've been unable to respond to the ones from the previous chapter. Although, to that one guest, Shadow? Yes, we were definitely trying to make you cry with that scene.**


	10. Scene 10: The Day The Devil Was Born

**A/N: The name of this scene is self-explanatory.**

 **So I'll just tell you that we don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, and that you all should enjoy this chapter very much.**

 **Oh, and also, Doccy has quite a different take on Zarc than what's been seen before, so there's that too.**

* * *

" _ **So we will continue to fight! Just as you all want!" / 'I could have stopped this, if only I had stayed with him…'**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

I'm there the day Zarc snaps. My father had gone just to see how his Real Solid Vision was working, and he'd dragged me along because he'd let the bitterness between Zarc and I go on for long enough, and he was tired of seeing me depressed. He was going to make us have a long talk after Zarc's Duel.

As though that would have undone weeks of separation and pain.

The fight ends and the crowd erupts in applause, chanting Zarc's name. Zarc relishes in it, his arms outstretched in a grandiose pose. He doesn't even care about the bodies of his opponents strewn across the ground before him.

"Is that it? Is there no one else who will fight me?!" Zarc shouts. "I am not yet satisfied! I want to fight stronger and more fiercely!"

I shudder and clench my skirt. Over the roar of the crowd, I can hear his dragons crying out from their cards, their voices distorted with anger and a thirst for power. Can't Zarc see what he's done to his precious dragons?

"OK! That voice is my and my monster's power!" Zarc declares. "If you all wish it, then we will become strong! **Strong enough to destroy the world!** "

…What?

The crowd continues to chant, the last part of his declaration unheard by them. But _I_ heard it, and suddenly I have the feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong. Zarc would never—

" **So we will continue to fight! Just as you all want!"**

All four of his dragons appear, and I have to cover my ears as they roar as one. Their rage is overwhelming now, and in the moment before they unleash it on the crowd, I realize one thing.

Their anger is not only their own. It's Zarc's too. He's suffered ever since the accident months ago… how could I not have seen that?

My father holds me close as we run from the dragons, whose attacks cut through anything and everything. I'm sure if he wasn't there, I would have just stood there numbly, watching the destruction unfold.

I could have stopped this, if only I had stayed with him…

* * *

 **ZARC:**

"ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC!" They kept chanting my name. They just kept chanting my name over and over and over again. I was like a god of battle, standing in the midst of my own stadium, on top of the bodies of my defeated opponents.

"Is that it? Is there no one else who will fight me?!" I roar, and the crowd erupts into more and more chanting. I stretch my arm out in an as theatrical movement as possible, as to make myself even more grandiose.

"I am not yet satisfied!" I roar. "I want to fight stronger and more fiercely!" The crowd keeps chanting as my four dragons roar again within me. I can hear their voices within their cards. They want the same too. They desire more power. They want to fight more. My voice is their voice, and their voices are my voice. We are one.

They keep chanting that they're satisfied, but that they want more. More Dueling, more fighting, more spectacles. A big smile spreads itself on my face. That's what they want, then they'll get it. Oh how they will get it.

"OK! That voice is my and my monster's power!" I declare. "If you all wish it, then we will become strong! **Strong enough to destroy the world!** "

They still don't stop chanting. So I raise my arm up and my Duel Disk materializes. " **So we will continue to fight! Just as you all want!"** I slam their four cards onto my Duel Disk and they all four materialize. The crowd cheers even wilder, their voices become even louder.

I erupt into laughter as I give the silent order as my dragons attack. Their voices become so much louder. The yelling… the screaming… the crying. They wanted me to fight, and so I will fight everything. I will fight the world itself!

They run like worms in fear of my power. Thanks to Solid Vision my dragons are indestructible. We tear through tanks, through planes, through buildings and people. All of this world burns at my hand. They will become ash before my power.

But it's not enough. It will never be enough. We want more. More power. More… More… More…

* * *

 **A/N: I told you it was a different take on Zarc. It's definitely good, though.**

 **...We're almost at the end guys. Two more scenes and it's over.**


	11. Scene 11: We Will Become One

**A/N: And now for your regularly scheduled dose of hitotsu ni.**

 **We don't own ARC-V. Enjoy!**

* * *

" _ **WE WILL BECOME ONE!"**_

* * *

 **RAY:**

In just a few days, Zarc has humanity on the brink of extinction; in a matter of hours, his dragons destroy entire _nations_ , only handfuls of survivors scattered about. Resistance is futile; Real Solid Vision can only be destroyed by Real Solid Vision, and no one could ever hope to defeat Zarc in a Duel.

I'm one of the lucky ones, I still have my father. Other survivors we see have lost all their family members; orphaned children run around in tears until they themselves are swallowed up by the dragons' attacks.

A week of ruin passes.

Then, the end of days truly begins.

" _ **WE WILL BECOME ONE!"**_

The roar echoes through the ruins. Everyone hears it. Everyone knows it belongs to Zarc.

The sky over the old stadium begins to glow; a harsh sphere of spiralling, multi-colored light illuminates the remains of the city. One by one, each of his dragons fly into it. But that's not the end—Zarc himself is absorbed into the light.

My father holds me close as we witness the birth of the Supreme Dragon King, a monstrosity with a wingspan the size of the city. His body, cloaked in shadows apart from the pale green lines marking his face and wings… and his glowing yellow eyes.

The color of Zarc's eyes…

"I must thank you humans. Thanks to your love for fighting I have acquired the greatest power in ALL OF EXISTENCE!"

My eyes well up with tears. I could have stopped this. I could have been there for him, and guided him back to the right path. We could have worked together to make the people see that hurting people was _not_ entertainment. Everything would have been fine, and we would still have each other.

But I was too scared, and now there's absolutely no going back.

The Supreme Dragon King Zarc has been born, and he will not stop until the entire world is destroyed…

* * *

 **ZARC:**

The roars of my dragons echo through the ruined stadium. Their anger is still present. They still desire more. "Really…" I mutter. "You're still not satisfied."

"I feel the same." I too desire more. More power. More fighting. More blood. I want to show my power to all of existence! I want to make it the last show they will ever see, the show that is my power!

"We will become one of flesh and obtain the strongest power!" I declare, pulling a certain card from my Deck out and into my hand. I have been waiting to use it for so long. Astrograph Magician.

" _ **WE WILL BECOME ONE!"**_ I roar throughout existence. Astrograph Magician materializes and creates a massive sphere of energy. All my dragons enter it. First Odd-Eyes, then Dark Rebellion, then Clear Wing, and then Starve Venom.

I laugh as I too float off the ground and am enveloped by it.

And I feel it. I feel _power. Power overwhelming. Power beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of. I am no longer just Zarc. That boy is no more. No, now I am a god. I am immortal. I am the beginning and the end. I am Supreme Dragon King Zarc!_

I spread my wings, and they cast a shadow over all of existence. My power is infinite. It is absolute. I am God. I laugh and my laugh echoes through time. "I finally got it," my voice booms. "I have become one and become God!"

I laugh again as the city burns around me. "I must thank you humans. Thanks to your love for fighting I have acquired the greatest power in ALL OF EXISTENCE!" I laugh again, and unleash a tiny bit of that power.

It takes the form of a red beam that destroys all in its path. It carves a beautiful path of destruction in its wake and fills me with euphoria. All this destruction, all this power, I love it! It is beautiful without compare! I am complete! I have become one!

They run like ants, with just as frail bodies and weak minds as them. They run, but why would they? I am bringing the spectacle they desired right to their own bodies, so they can feel the power they so desperately wanted to see!

Silly little humans. They think a God cares what they want anymore. The only thing that even matters anymore is me. What I want. I am God, and I shape reality to my will! And if I decree that it will be destroyed, then none may defy me! **For I am Supreme Dragon King Zarc, and I have become one!**

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, the finale should be so much fun.**


	12. Scene 12: The End

**S-S: So, with this, this twelve-chapter fic will finally be over. And for this last Author's Note, I'm joined once again by the intelligent, handsome, strong and unbelivably sexy Doccy Larsson Seraphim.**

 **DLS: You shouldn't have made me write this Author's Note, you know.**

 **S-S: My dad is Josef Stalin!**

 **DLS: As he always has been. Alright, while S-S is over there reading up a long list of things I made her say because I can do that, I'll talk on my own here. But as we said at the start, writing anything meaningful about Zarc and Ray that isn't promptly made non-canon because of a new episode is really freakin' hard. So we made the decision to write something that might have happened back in the Original Dimension, since it's likely we don't hear much more of it, which means basically everything we've written could potentially have happened off-screen.**

 **S-S: Taxation is theft!**

 **DLS: Also the guy who came up with the idea of making specific situations and writing the simultaneous viewpoints from both Zarc and Ray was me as well. I wrote all of Zarc's viewpoints, while Sky here wrote all of Ray's viewpoints. It made it so much easier on us both, because I'm male and she's female. Write what you know, eh Sky?**

 **S-S: Can I stop now?**

 **DLS: No.**

 **S-S: Please? My throat is starting to hurt.**

 **DLS: You can stop the moment you say the password.**

 **S-S: Do I have to?**

 **DLS: Yes.**

 **S-S: *sigh* The Darkness Within by Doccy Larsson Seraphim is the best story on FanFiction dot net and you should absolutely read it and review it because Doccy is the best and you know you want to deep inside.**

 **DLS: Thank you. You may speak.**

 **S-S: Finally. I am never letting you do the Author's Note again.**

* * *

 **RAY:**

We don't see very many other survivors these days. Only the rotting corpses of the people who thought themselves to be heroes, going off to fight the Supreme Dragon King Zarc and winding up completely destroyed—as though they could have won anyways.

Even as my father drags me around the world for his research—for his plan to harness nature's will to survive in order to fight Zarc—we find the same result. Bodies, bodies, and more bodies, twisted and rotted beyond recognition.

We give up trying to bury them all.

When my father finishes his machine and it produces four Spell Cards, one after the other, with the ability to nullify Zarc's powers, he does not celebrate. He sits me down and tells me just what the cards will do.

They'll split the Supreme Dragon King back into the four dragons that made it, scattering Zarc along with them, and separate the world into four to make sure no parts could reach the others. And as a price for doing this, the person who uses the cards will be split apart and scattered amongst the new worlds too.

The people split apart by this… will effectively be dead.

He insists that he has to do it. He was the one that created the Real Solid Vision system, and without it, Zarc would not have risen to power.

I beg him to change his mind, to let someone else do it—to let _me_ do it—or to spend more time working on these cards to get rid of such a high price. He won't listen. He insists that this is all his fault, and that he has to fix things himself.

I can't let him do that. I ran away from Zarc once, I can't run away again. This is _my_ burden to carry, not my father's.

I steal the cards from him and run, stopping only to block my father from chasing after me. _It's my fault, it's my fault, it's all my fault. I'm sorry, Father, but I can't let you be the one to do this_.

The climb up the mountain of crystals is nothing but _agony_. I've set myself on a suicide mission, and the very thought of it makes my legs give out several times during the climb. I don't want to die, but—there's no other option for me anymore.

When I reach the top, I can see the Supreme Dragon King directly overhead. This close to him, his power is so great I almost can't breathe. It takes me every ounce of my strength not to cower and cover my ears because I can hear his inner rage and it is _deafening_.

" **Who dares?!"** he roars, and I instinctively flinch at the sound as the crystals tremble beneath me.

He sees me and descends, and now I can see him up close. His body is completely fused with the beast, the only part of him visible being his face—and only barely, at that. Thin lines of red veins pulse on his face, over the top of pale-white skin and pitch-black scales. His yellow eyes are _glowering_ at me.

" **So, now you've** _ **finally**_ **found the spine to come back, huh?"** Zarc snarls at me.

Every fiber of my being screams to _run_ and _not look back_. But I'm _done_ running. "I'm so sorry, Zarc…" If only I had decided this sooner. I could have saved you then.

He laughs at my apology and taunts me in response. He tells me that he'll make we watch him take away everything I love before he kills me. He doesn't realize that I've _already_ lost the one person that matters most to me… _him_.

His arms are freed from the body, only to conjure up a Duel Disk and his cards on one of his arms. A Duel. I can't hold back the tears anymore. A Duel. After all this, a _Duel_. I have no choice but to accept, and soon enough I find myself cornered by only Starve Venom and Clear Wing.

 _But the Spells…_

All four of them are in my hand. They're… they're all here.

 _It's time._

I try to dry my eyes, but only more tears fall. It's _time_ , after this action, neither Ray Akaba nor the Supreme Dragon King Zarc will exist. Only fragments of us will remain…

I hold up all four of them before sliding them into my Duel Disk. On my outstretched arm, four bracelets with sparkling gems appear… and then I feel them tearing me apart. Pure agony. I grit and bear it for as long as I hear Zarc thrashing about and screaming. I can't have my sacrifice be for nothing.

And suddenly… silence.

In the split second before my mind shatters, I close my eyes and pray to—to whatever higher power would listen.

 _Please. Please, when this is all over, let me be by Zarc's side. I don't care if we cease to exist as Zarc and Ray… I don't care if we don't remember anything… I don't care if the world stands between us… I can't abandon him again._

 _Please—_

* * *

 **ZARC:**

Hmph. The arrogance of these humans. They think they can defeat me? It makes me laugh, and my laughter echoes throughout this ruined city. How feeble their hopes are; they think that they can strike down a godlike being such as me?

 **HA!** Such feeble-minded foolishness matters not to me. But even so, destroying an entire world gets repetitive after a while. So it's nice to have some sacrifices to my glory now and then.

But as time passes, the frequency of these sacrifices lessens. Maybe because the reality of the situation is beginning to sink in, that I am undefeatable and unstoppable, and their only real option is to bend down on one knee and beg for their lives.

Of course I'll ignore their pleas and destroy them anyway, but who cares anymore? I'm a god, I can do whatever I want. And here's my plan. I'm a god, so I can create just as well as I can destroy. So after I'm done with this world, I'll just create a new one. Let it flourish, let it grow, just before tearing it apart, too.

And like that it'll repeat. Again and again and again. Forever. That is my decree, and so shall it be. My will is reality, if I desire it to be so, then it will be so. I am a god, and I am all-powerful! I am the end of days!

And the best part is that there's nothing these puny humans can do about it. All they can do now is look upon the apocalypse that they brought upon themselves. That's all they can do, watch and struggle pointlessly as I slowly but surely kill the world.

What will I create in its place, I think? Maybe something with crystals; yes, I like crystals. I'll make them in all kinds of colors. That'll be much more worth my time than bothering with these humans. I mean, look at them. They're nothing but scrawny little ants in the infinite cosmos.

But then again, what better way to prove my divinity than to eradicate these pathetic ants from existence altogether? When I reduce this world to nothing but rubble and ash, then nobody will dare challenge my title as the strongest. And then-

" **Who dares!?"** I roar as I hear footsteps approach me. They walk up the small mountain of crystals I made off-handedly when I was bored, and there they stand. I recognize this challenger immediately.

" **So, now you've** _ **finally**_ **found the spine to come back, huh?"** I snarl, and my dragon head growls with me as I hunch over and move my human body closer to Ray. I'm smiling, just at the thought of all the things I could do to her. I have an old debt to pay back.

"I'm so sorry, Zarc," She says. I can't help but laugh in response. She thinks she can undo everything just with a simple apology? Just as naive as she always was, then. Nevertheless, she's here now and I have a few words for her.

"Save your words for when I'm done with you, Ray. I've been looking forward to this moment, you know," I say, and a smile spreads itself on my lips. "When I defeat you, I don't intend to kill you. Instead, I will freeze you inside a radiant crystal, and you will get a first row seat to when I kill this world. Only when you have seen everything you love taken from you, then you may die."

With those words, I conjure my Duel Disk forth. Ray pulls out her own in silence; but I can see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Hmph. I'm past the point of caring. As if she can do anything about this. She's just as weak a Duelist as I remember her being, it's almost without effort that I fend off her attacks and overpower her defences. Starve Venom and Clear Wing effortlessly rip her cards apart. Now all I need to do is-

" **Wait, what are you doing?"** I snarl as I see Ray pull four cards out of her hand. She slides them all into her Duel Disk and they call appear above her. And then they emit a radiant light that fills me with agony.

" **RRAAAAAAAGGHHH!"**

" **UNFORGIVABLE, UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!"**

" **NOOOOO! WE WILL BECOME ONE! WE… WILL… BECOME…** _ **ONE!**_ "

That's the last thing I utter before I feel my very soul be torn apart in agony. I have never felt so much pain in my life before. And then I realize what Ray has done. She has split me up into four. She has split the world into four.

I'm stuck in the weak bodies of children. My dragons are with them, bound to them. I know what I desire. I desire to become one. And so I exert what little power I still have and move my reincarnations to new places. Places where they will learn to Duel. With people that will make them strong.

Even if it takes eternity, I will become one again.

I… will… become… one… again…

* * *

 **S-S: There you have it, the last thoughts and actions of both of them right before they were split apart.**

 **DLS: Giant clams are good at sex.**

 **S-S: *Snickers* Not so fun when it happens to _I'm_ the one in control, huh?**

 **DLS: YOU CANNOT BEAT SHINY GOOSEMAN!**

 **S-S: Go ahead, keep trying to say stuff. I have thirty-eight pages of random to unleash on you as payback for making me say all that stuff earlier.**

 **DLS: ...I need to reload my tomahawk.**

 **S-S: Haha, sure you do. Anywho~I thank you all for all your support. Doccy and I worked very, very hard to make this. Make sure you all pass on your regards to Doccy too! He really deserves it.**

 **DLS: Heaven and Neptune shout with us!**

 **S-S: Actually that's relevant right now. Everyone should be wishing everyone a very merry Christmas... or Zarcmas, if you so choose. So, Merry Zarcmas to you all!**


End file.
